Re: The stone the builders rejected...

: THE STONE THE BUILDERS REJECTED HAS BECOME THE CAPSTONE - "This wisdom in the words quoted above, appearing first at Psalm 118:22, recurs at Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11 and 1 Peter 2:7, making it one of the New Testament's most repeated phrases. Repetition is the teacher's most powerful tool, so evidently these Christian writers and the Spirit who inspired them are trying to get us to listen up. How does the rejected stone become the capstone? How does the presence of the outsider improve life for us all? Here in Kentucky, the legislature has placed on the November ballot a constitutional amendment that would outlaw public recognition of same-gender relationships. At the same time, it prohibits communities from offering benefits to stable families, whether headed by same- or mixed-gender couples, under the label of civil unions or domestic partnerships. The amendment was conceived and passed not out of a homegrown desire to help contemporary relationships but as a reaction to initiatives undertaken elsewhere that seek to bring our definitions of marriage and family more closely in line with how we actually live." From "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone: Kentucky-born author Fenton Johnson discusses the issues in gay marriage," The Courier Journal, Louisville, Ky., September 12, 2004. Online at http://www.courier-journal.com/cjextra/editorials/2004/09/12/H1-johnson0912-10845.html

: Psalm 118:22 (King James Version) The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;

: Psalm 118:22 (21st Century King James) The stone which the builders refused has become the head stone of the corner.

: Some commentary from online:
: Lesson 10: The Cornerstone

: 1 Peter 2:6-8
: 6 For in Scripture it says: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.
: 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone".

: What is the 'capstone'?
: Answer: It actually says "head of the corner" as in KJV. Also called "chief cornerstone," this stone can refer to the last stone to be placed into a building. As in the used of 'cornerstone,' Peter's main point in using the description is to emphasize the importance of what the rejected stone had become to the building.

: What is Peter's point in quoting Psalm 118:22?
: Answer: The stone rejected by the builders was chosen by God, the chief builder, to be the capstone. Peter is pointing that Jesus Christ was rejected and crucified by his own people. But God who is building the spiritual house (verse 2:5) has chosen Jesus Christ to be the capstone of that building made up of all the believers in Jesus Christ.
: http://www.bible-interpretation.com/commentary_1peter_lesson10.htm

:
: According to one site, another meaning for "capstone" is "To increase personal knowledge of the Bible. To facilitate fellowship, and to train one another through the Bible." From a University of Massachusetts site. http://www.umass.edu/campact/cso.html Accessed September 12, 2004.

Whilst all the cornerstones in a building are important, I would consider the first one to be more important than the last. Where natural cornerstones are not available, man-made bricks may be used instead, or sometimes round buildings may be built eg round church towers in Norfolk.

In an arch, the central voussoir is called the keystone. It is the final one to be put in place, and is often larger and more decorated than the rest.